The present invention relates generally to an electrician's fish tape assembly. More specifically, the invention relates to a fish tape housing and an improved handle therefor.
A fish tape is an electrician's tool which is used to install wires in a conduit. The fish tape itself is an elongated member made of tempered spring steel, stainless steel, nylon, fiberglass with a nylon jacket, or multi-stranded steel wire. The fish tape is rigid enough to be pushed through a conduit yet flexible enough to bend around corners or curves in the conduit. After the tape has been “fished” or threaded through a conduit, a wire or cable is attached to the end of the fish tape and the tape is pulled back through the conduit, drawing the wire with it to install the wire in the conduit.
Fish tapes are supplied in lengths ranging from 25 to 240 feet. Due to the length of the fish tape, it is usually coiled for manageability. However, the natural resilience of the material makes the coil unruly. The material at all times wants to escape the confines of the coil. That is, it seeks to return to its natural straight condition and thus wants to “spring out” of its coiled condition. Accordingly, the fish tape must be housed in some manner to maintain it in a coiled condition until it is ready to be used.
Traditionally a housing or case of some sort has been used to constrain the coils of the fish tape within a chamber formed within the case walls. The case's walls confine the coils and prevent their natural release. An opening for paying the tape into and out of the housing is provided. In some models, the housing has a circular case formed of two halves with a slot defined where the halves meet. A handle travels around the periphery of the case, widening the slot at the location of the handle to direct the tape's exit from and entry into the case. In fish tapes that contain a traveling handle mechanism, the handle projects from the case and can be rotated about its circumference. When the case and handle are revolved relative to each other, the tape will be payed into or out of the case. In many prior art housing designs, the handle rotates on an inner track, or wall, as it rotates about the housing. A slot in the handle, open on one side, permits the tape to extend through the handle.
Traditional housing and handle members present a number of problems. The case is usually made up of two halves with a gap between the halves. The halves are joined in a manner that intentionally permits widening of the gap at the handle. However, the case halves may also unintentionally separate when dropped or under otherwise subjected to extreme conditions. When that happens the tape can escape its confines. The possibility of the tape “springing out” of the case or handle presents a danger to users, particularly where the tape is of a material such as steel. The tape is particularly prone to popping out of its slot in the handle because the slot is fully open on one side of the handle. This forces the user to rethread the tape back into the handle slot before further use can be made.